<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>flying home for the winter by EmmaLuLuChu</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29114559">flying home for the winter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaLuLuChu/pseuds/EmmaLuLuChu'>EmmaLuLuChu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adopted Child, Happy Ending, High School Sweethearts Sheith, Kosmo (Voltron) - Freeform, M/M, Minor Kolivan/Krolia (Voltron), Sheithmark 2021, Single Parent Shiro (Voltron), holiday party, minor fake dating, shiro’s family - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:40:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,036</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29114559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaLuLuChu/pseuds/EmmaLuLuChu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Something has brought Keith back to his hometown for the first time in years, while trying to figure it out he runs into Shiro, his old high school ex-boyfriend, and his daughter barely minutes after arriving home. The two immediately begin to spend more time together, unsure of what to do with their feelings for each other until the Shirogane holiday party.</p><p>Things don’t go crazy, but it does make the two think.</p><p>Part of the Sheitmark event (bingo card; single parent, high school sweetheart, interrupted kiss, fake dating, “why i love you” speech)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sheithmark 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>flying home for the winter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is the first time i’m really dipping my toes into the Sheith side of fandom, i’ve been in Voltron fandom since the beginning p much but never really knew how or when to do more with Sheith?</p><p>i did a lot of figuring out on my own but doing this Sheithmark project with my artist collaborator has been AMAZING, she really helped me feel comfortable and having somebody else to geek over happy Sheith stuff with is the Best. i loved being able to create this world together and i’m so excited to have everybody else see it! please make sure to go check out the art on her <a href="https://twitter.com/sepiacigarettes/status/1356080684394115073?s=21">twitter!</a> she did wonderful work and i guarantee you will just stare at her pictures for hours and smile bcs it’s so Beautiful! Wholesome!! Brilliant!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Keith’s fingers tapped away on the armrest of the seat he was in, eyes switching from looking out the window to the front of the bus, silently urging the people standing and retrieving their bags in front of him to hurry. He wasn’t nervous or anxious, he had become far too accustomed to traveling by now to be like that anymore, but eager to see the town waiting outside. Keith always had this excitement with all the other places he had been to, like the swamps of Florida and the forests of Colorado, but he never imagined to have it for his small hometown. It wasn’t that long ago he had been itching to leave this place to travel across the country, even though his heart had been aching for other reasons, now here he was almost bouncing in his seat.</p><p>Finally the people in front of him stood from their seats, all the permission Keith needed to gather his two sole travel bags and get a hand on his pup Kosmo’s leash, the fluffy german shepherd sighing from his spot on the floor at the movement. Keith rolled his eyes as he reached down to pet the dog, “Don’t get huffy, you’ll have a nice fireplace to curl up in front of soon enough.”</p><p>Kosmo sighed twice more, once at his owner’s words and again as he was made to get up with a firm <em> let’s go </em>, but Keith could care less as they walked through and off the bus and into the fresh crisp air.</p><p>The bus stop had never looked so beautiful, it and the street around him decked out in simple yet effective holiday decorations that brought on intense nostalgia for Keith. There was a bit of a crowd around him, welcoming parties for the other people who had made the long journey as well, and Keith promptly ignored it all and shuffled through all the people instead towards the back where he knew the most important people he cared about were.</p><p>Keith knew he had a very wide and silly grin on his face but he could care less about that, running the last couple of steps into the waiting arms of his mom and getting a warm hug that soothed something deep in him that he didn’t even realize needed it. He felt a multitude of kisses land on his cheek and heard a light chuckle off to the side.</p><p>“Welcome home Keith, my adventurous zoologist.” The two pulled away, allowing Keith to look up at his Mom’s face, noticing a few new wrinkles on her face that only added to her beauty.</p><p>“It’s good to be back. Thank you again for making the space to have me come home.”</p><p>Krolia scoffed at Keith, catching his face in her hands, “You are my son! You shouldn’t ever worry about having a place to stay, you’ll always have a home here.”</p><p>Behind his Mom from the left stepped up Kolivan, a gentle smile on his face, “She’s right, don’t ever worry about where you can stay.”</p><p>Keith smiled up at his step-father, accepting the hand held out to him, “I can at least thank you for coming to pick me up.”</p><p>“If you insist, we were already going to be here anyway. Still have to pick out a tree to bring home.”</p><p>“The car’s already parked at the tree lot, we figured a short walk wouldn’t be too bad, especially after sitting for as long as you have.”</p><p>Keith nodded, handing one of his bags to Kolivan at his offer, “That does sound good, Kosmo probably needs it too. Did you want to take his leash Mom?”</p><p>“Of course! I’d love to walk my grand-puppy.”</p><p>After some juggling around the three set off down the street, passing by shops beginning to close and restaurants beginning to open as the sun began to set and color the sky in soft reds and purples. Keith had walked these streets many times and been bored of it before, but now it made him smile to spot the familiar decorations and the new businesses, especially the destination they were approaching.</p><p>The christmas tree lot was freshly set up, the light dusting of snow on the ground adding an extra level of charm to everything. Keith had seen plenty of other lots like this, but seeing this familiar one left his mind at ease, knowing the layout well. He knew his Mom and step-father were fine to pick something without him, leaving Keith to wander around with Kosmo and admire the other trees available to take home as everyone else was. The voice in Keith’s head pointed out how ridiculously perfect it all was, and it brought him great comfort. It had worried him for a while when he didn’t get homesick after traveling the country for so long, but it had always been his dream to explore the world. It actually wasn’t until Keith had started to entertain going outside of the country that his heart yearned for home, as if knowing it would hit him hard if he didn’t do it now.</p><p>Keith paused in his musing when he felt the slack on Kosmo’s leash grow taut, looking and finding the rescue dog a few steps behind where he stood.</p><p>Kosmo was intensely sniffing at something on the ground, eventually picking it up carefully, then turning and trotting up to Keith with what he had found. It was a tiny stuffed giraffe, well loved with how limp it was in Kosmo’s mouth. The beady eyes stared up hopefully at Keith, as if begging him for help. “Huh, a kid must have dropped that. You want to find who this little guy belongs to, buddy?” Keith took the toy from Kosmo, beginning to walk again as his dog followed after.</p><p>There were no immediate cries or shouts of <em> I want my toy! </em>that Keith heard nor children running around in a hurry, for a moment he worried that the little giraffe was accidentally abandoned. He didn’t want to think of the poor child’s face once they realized they had lost their toy, it didn’t help that the toy was strangely familiar to him. There were all sorts of animal toys across all the zoos he had traveled to, but there was something about this one Keith couldn’t put his finger on. As he made another turn around more trees, Keith finally heard something that caught his attention. It wasn’t a child calling out for their toy though.</p><p>“Keith!”</p><p>It was a voice Keith hadn’t heard in years, but there was no mistaking who it belonged to with the way it immediately caused butterflies to dance in his stomach and his heart to skip a beat. He turned to the voice, breath catching in his throat.</p><p>“Shiro?”</p><p>There stood Keith’s old high school sweetheart, Takashi Shirogane, charming smile and bright eyes and the same faded scar that Keith used to press kisses to. It was a sight for sore eyes and one that Keith just realized he never wanted to look away from again. So of course Keith couldn’t help but gasp as he was suddenly swallowed up in yet another hug, even warmer and comforting than the last, but immediately embraced Shiro back as well. He had to hold back from instinctively lifting his head up too, the sudden reminder of what their relationship was now coming back to him.</p><p>“I can’t believe it, what are you doing here? How long have you been back?”</p><p>Keith smiled and pat Shiro’s back before they pulled away, answering in kind, “I decided this was the year to come home I guess, I just got in literally ten minutes ago from the bus station. Mom and Kolivan came to get me.”</p><p>Shiro had the slightest of worried looks before it relaxed into content, “That’s good, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if you had been here any longer than that and I didn’t know.”</p><p>“I would’ve told you, trust me! This whole thing was a really last minute decision actually, you would’ve been one of the first people I told if it was a planned-in-advance trip.”</p><p>“Baby Deer?”</p><p>The new voice took Keith by surprise, looking around before finally finding the speaker, hidden a little behind Shiro’s leg but one tiny eye peeking out at Keith. The eye looked between him and his hand, the small stuffed giraffe still safely in his grip. Instantly dots connected together, why the toy was so familiar to him and why there was a kid hiding behind Shiro, and he quickly made a note to ask about the ‘Baby Deer’ later. He smiled warmly, kneeling down to be eye level with the little girl, holding the toy out to her.</p><p>“I believe this is yours. I found it on the other side of the tree lot.”</p><p>She moved out a little further from her hiding spot, revealing two bouncy pigtails and pink fluffy earmuffs, reaching out to try and take the toy without moving any further. Shiro chuckled above them, one of his hands smoothing over her head,</p><p>“It’s okay sweetie, he was the one who gave you Baby Deer. It was a gift when I adopted you.”</p><p>The little girl’s eyes brightened up, “Really Daddy?”</p><p>Shiro nodded, “Really. Go ahead and take her now, we <em> were </em> looking for her.”</p><p>That was enough for the little girl to finally move out from behind Shiro’s legs and take the toy giraffe, happily hugging it close. Keith stood up, glancing up at Shiro, “So, this is sweet little Kimmy, huh?”</p><p>The smile that beamed across Shiro’s face could light up a dark room instantly. “Yeah, this is her. This wasn’t how I thought you two would meet, but I’m glad it finally happened.”</p><p>Keith raised an eyebrow at that, tilting his head up at the other and smirking, “How did you want it to happen?”</p><p>“Well, first of all, I would’ve known already that you were coming home for a visit,” Shiro snickered as Keith lightly pushed at him, “So that would have led to me shooting you a text to make plans for dinner at my place and have an official meet and greet with my daughter. I’d order pizza, Kimmy would wear her finest dress and I my best sweater-“</p><p>Keith laughed at the detailed description, smiling as he took in his best friend’s words. He knew how much he had missed Shiro, but it was hitting him now more than ever how deep the feeling went. Between his work and travel and Shiro’s child and job, they unfortunately hadn’t been talking as much. Was that what spurred him on to make this trip?</p><p>Eventually Shiro’s long-winded description was done, Kimmy piping up that he was being silly and making both of the adults laugh.</p><p>“Your Dad does sound silly Kimmy, but I’ve known him long enough to know how right he is. So. . .” Keith looked at Shiro, giving a shy smile, “Should we test it out? Dinner, sometime this week?”</p><p>Shiro was a little surprised at the question and Keith worried for a second that he had made a misstep, but was immediately reassured when his friend gave an equally shy smile back.</p><p>“Yeah, we’d love to have you over. I know you just came in, but how about tomorrow? Winter break starts for us so Kimmy and I have a half day, you could come hang out as soon as we’re back home. You can bring Kosmo too.”</p><p>There was a soft gasp from Kimmy before being followed by a constant whisper of <em> ‘please please please!’ </em>that made Keith chuckle again.</p><p>“I’d really like that.”</p><p>A couple of feet away, Krolia smiled as she looked on at the two boys happily chatting away, leaning her head onto Kolivan’s shoulder.</p><p>“Wasn’t it a little much to move that toy Krolia?”</p><p>She shrugged, “Possibly, but then neither of them would have seen each other. The toy was lost anyway, and no matter what Kimmy would’ve gotten it back.”</p><p>“Before or after you shoved Keith and Shiro together?”</p><p>Krolia batted a hand at Kolivan, hushing him as she watched Keith walk off with Shiro, Kimmy and Kosmo in between them, the little girl skipping along and the pup’s tail raised and wiggling in delight.</p><p>-</p><p>
  
</p><p>-</p><p>Dinner at Shiro’s had been wonderful, he learned how Kimmy used to call giraffes baby deer, and Keith truly got to learn who Kimmy was and see what had drawn Shiro to her. She was a complete and total Daddy’s Girl, and had Shiro wrapped around her finger. It was subtle, Kimmy of course was well-behaved and sweet, but it was a little too easy for her to bat some doe eyes at her Dad and nicely ask about getting another three cookies or stay up <em> ‘five more minutes’ </em> eight times in a row. Regardless, it warmed Keith’s heart to see how much Shiro loved being a parent and how well it worked for him, the love and want to care for another had always been there and without a way to properly express it Shiro struggled to balance it. Now, he flourished, and it was a whole new side of him that Keith was happy to finally see.</p><p>That night Keith ended up staying at Shiro’s, the two friends had opened a bottle and caught up from over the past few years, and when he finally had the thought to check it was late enough that he didn’t have the heart to be entering his Mom’s home and wake everyone up by accident. . . or it was more because Keith got very wine-sleepy and found himself nodding off while Shiro went to go check on Kimmy, and completely fell asleep as soon as a warm blanket was draped across his shoulders. It was the best sleep Keith had for the first time in what felt like <em> ages </em>. Even with the heavy sleep, Keith still managed to wake up at his usual time, only to find at least three missed calls from his Mom.</p><p>Keith called and apologized as soon as he saw, as well as sheepishly telling her not to expect him for breakfast because Shiro had already begun to make hashbrowns and sausage and Kimmy was adamant to have him try her scrambled eggs. Krolia only laughed and asked him to be home in time for dinner, which he promised to do.</p><p>After that though, Keith spent a lot more time than he expected hanging out with Shiro and Kimmy over the next few days.</p><p>First and foremost; Shiro was Keith’s best friend. Of course they wanted to hang out as much as possible. It was comforting to know that Keith could text at any time and either head over to Shiro’s place and vice versa. It definitely helped keep Kimmy entertained during the break, no matter what she would have an adult to hang onto and a fluffy German Shepherd to cuddle and give treats to. Everything was always easy between them, and none of their interactions would ever change. . . besides Keith having to remind himself not to outright kiss Shiro sometimes. It had to be proximity, because before now Keith had only fondly thought of the warmth that came with holding hands and the faint scent of lavender that Shiro had when they kissed. Now it had become a simmering need under his skin, a natural instinct he desperately wanted to enact but instead had to keep shoving down.</p><p>If they had that conversation, Keith honestly wasn’t sure what would happen. Their friendship wouldn’t be lost at all, but he could see potential hurt. This was only a temporary visit for Keith, and Shiro had a child who depended on him. It felt selfish to cause a disrupt to their lives over an impulsive visit.</p><p>For now, Keith was happy with this. Just to be close to his friend, and for Shiro to feel the same.</p><p>Although, it seemed fate had a <em> very different </em>plan in mind.</p><p>-</p><p>The winter Shirogane family get together was always held at the same place, an old fire station that had been refurbished years ago into an event hall. The inside had memorials painted on the wall and every year the inside became more and more dated, but it was always a welcome sight to the family. It held a special fondness for Shiro, all of the homemade food lining the walls in crockpots and bowls, the games they would play from cards to pinata to musical chairs, and of course Santa stopping by with a sack full of gifts to give away. It always made him happy to share the magic of the party with Keith when they dated back in high school, and it all became even more special once Kimmy came into his life, so it was a no-brainer to extend an invitation to Keith, Krolia, and Kolivan this year.</p><p>Shiro hadn’t even given a second thought to what his more nosy relatives would think upon seeing the Koganes walking in with him, it was all just an excuse to spend more time with Keith.</p><p>The past few days had been great, he loved getting to hear about the amazing zoo and sanctuary work his friend had one so far, his eyes still light up when asked about conservation efforts and animals. The same passion that was there as a teen had become tenfold in Keith’s adulthood, and Shiro was happy his friend was following his calling but it was hard to ignore the looming date of when Keith had to leave once again. Keith had mentioned that he was starting to look at zoos and sanctuaries out of the country to volunteer at, which meant that Shiro’s best friend would be harder to reach after this winter vacation. They had slipped out of regular talking before because of their busy lives, but add leaving the country on top of that. . .</p><p>So the invite had been a little selfish, but Shiro also knew there were plenty of family members that had been asking about the Koganes and they all had people they wanted to talk with too, so one could call it killing two birds with one stone.</p><p>The first hour went off without a hitch, Kimmy already had two cups of soda and was excitedly running around with her cousins, Krolia and Kolivan had gotten into a deep conversation with Shiro’s own parents, and he and Keith had been making the rounds to say hello and helping set up the food for lunch. It was nice, it felt right. Shiro didn’t want this to end.</p><p>He didn’t realize it was happening, but slowly one particular relative of Shiro’s, Aunt Celia, was making her way towards Keith and him, and he didn’t see it coming when she had them cornered in the kitchen and had that <em> look </em>in her eyes. She held off for only a few sentences into a conversation about one of Keith’s stories before she dropped the big question.</p><p>“I can’t imagine being that close to a lion, my goodness! I don’t know how you do it Keith.” Aunt Celia’s innocent smile became a little suspicious then. “While I have you two here now I have something that I wanted to make sure of.” She eyed the both of them, waving a manicured hand, “The holidays have been busy, so I wasn’t sure if I had missed you saying anything Takashi,”</p><p>Shiro had to fight off from making any outward signs of distress as it finally dawned on him what she was about to ask, inwardly screaming as the bomb dropped,</p><p>“So, are you two back together again?”</p><p>In that moment everything began to move in slow motion, Shiro taking the longest time to glance at Keith, who was doing the same to him.</p><p>Somehow in that short span of time they had as much of a mental conversation as one could under the time constraint, the only indications of it occurring being Shiro ever so slightly raising an eyebrow and the corner of Keith’s mouth twitching upwards just enough to solidify the exchange.</p><p>As the slow motion ended Keith looked back at Aunt Celia, sending a shy smile and raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck,</p><p>“Yeah. We didn’t want to make a huge deal about it, everything just kind of fell into place.”</p><p>Shiro nodded. “Right, we’d appreciate it if you kept quiet about it Aunt Celia, just for a little while. We’re taking a little time right now to enjoy it before we get slammed with fifty questions.”</p><p>Aunt Celia’s mouth dropped to the ground as they spoke, reaching out to grab at Shiro’s shoulder and Keith’s arm, “Oh my goodness! That is <em> wonderful </em> news! I always knew you two would get back together again, the old highschool sweethearts rekindling their love!” With that she squeezed each of them tight before flitting away, pressing a finger to her lips as a promise to be quiet, heading back out into the main party area.</p><p>Now that they were alone Shiro finally pressed hands over his eyes and groaned aloud. He should’ve seen all of this happening from a mile away.</p><p>“I am <em> so sorry </em> Keith, I should’ve known she would do something like this. She’s kept asking me the same thing on and off over the past couple years too, she’s not subtle at all.”</p><p>Thankfully Keith chuckled next to Shiro, feeling a hand pat his arm.</p><p>“It’s alright, it won’t be too hard to keep the act up. Only one person believes we’re a couple again. I imagine if we had said anything else she would have pestered us for the rest of the party anyways, I don’t mind having to make goo-goo eyes at you for a couple hours to avoid that.”</p><p>Shiro dropped his hands and nodded, ignoring the way the words stung at his heart. Keith was clearly joking and would never say anything that would hurt him, but regardless the memory of their love now being faked for one nosy relative really sucked. It would only be for a short while though.</p><p>“Yeah, I won’t see Aunt Celia after this party again until after you head out, so I can explain everything to her then. . .” Shiro frowned as he noticed Keith had tensed a little, putting a hand on his shoulder, “You sure you’re okay with doing this?”</p><p>Keith looked up when he felt the touch, giving a smile that didn’t look forced and reassured Shiro, “Of course, there’s nobody I’d rather be fake dating.”</p><p>In that moment everything really was fine. They both stepped back out into the party and joined the forming buffet line, and their only concern in that moment was getting the food they desperately wanted before it ran out.</p><p>It must be reiterated again that fate had <em> very different plans, </em>Keith and Shiro not realizing that Aunt Celia was making her way across the room, excitedly whispering to everyone she reached.</p><p>-</p><p>
  
</p><p>-</p><p>Kimmy tip-toed into the hallway that led to the bathrooms, passing those to head towards the back wall where all the coats were hung up or laid over some chairs. She had seen one of her uncles hide a toy her cousins had been playing with among the fabric, she was curious about why and decided to check for herself. As she approached it though, she found something, or really someone else, more interesting first.</p><p>“Daddy? Why are you hiding?”</p><p>Behind the big stack of coats was her Daddy, his hands covering his face until he dropped them, staring at her in surprise.</p><p>“Ah, nothing special sweetie, what are you doing all the way over here?”</p><p>The hidden toy was all but forgotten now, Kimmy now far more interested in why her father was acting so strange as she slipped past the cover of coats and attempted to climb into his lap,</p><p>“Are you playing hide and seek? I thought only kids can play that game.”</p><p>Daddy sighed as she got settled, one of his big hands moving to rub her back.</p><p>“Adults can play hide and seek if they want, but that’s not what I’m doing right now. . . well, I’m doing the hiding part and hoping nobody is doing the seeking.”</p><p>“Are you hiding from Keithy?”</p><p>“I’m not hiding from him. . . I’m hiding from all your aunts and uncles.”</p><p>Kimmy tilted her head, still confused. “Why? All of them are being nice and talking to you and Keithy and are really happy.”</p><p>He sighed again, putting a hand over his eyes. “They are happy, but it’s kind of complicated. You see, before I met you, I used to. . . hold hands a lot with Keith.”</p><p>Kimmy gave a soft gasp at that, only people who like-liked each other could hold hands! “Daddy and Keithy like-like each other?!”</p><p>Daddy dropped his hand, smiling at her and poking her cheek, which made her giggle. He didn’t answer her question, continuing instead, “Everybody was happy that we wanted to hold hands. However, we couldn’t keep holding hands forever. . .” His smile didn’t go away, but it looked a little sad which made Kimmy frown, “Keith really loves to help animals, but he can’t do that if he only stayed here. I thought about going with him, but it made me sad to think about leaving our family. So we decided not to hold hands anymore.”</p><p>Kimmy frowned even more, immediately giving her Daddy a hug.</p><p>“I’m sorry Daddy. . . but you still like-like Keithy right? Now you both can hold hands again.”</p><p>Daddy’s arms wrapped around Kimmy, one of his hands patting her head, “I do, I always have like-liked Keith, but unfortunately it’s not that easy. Keith has to leave in a couple of days, and I don’t know if he’ll come back anytime soon. It wouldn’t be fair to ask him about any of this right now.”</p><p>She wiggled around enough to peek her eyes up at him, pouting, “How come? Adults like to talk.”</p><p>He chuckled, like how some adults do with her questions, “We do, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for us to talk. Especially when we like-like someone. I know what would happen if I talked with Keith, we would both be happy for a little while, but then eventually Keith would get sad. He’d have to choose to stay here or go do great things, but he already did that once before.” He turned his head to peek through the coats, that same sad smile coming back, “I can’t do that to him again sweetie. . . I care for Keith more than making myself happy. So just for today, we’re pretending like we are holding hands again, for everybody else.”</p><p>Kimmy followed where her father was looking through the coats too and saw Keith standing with Mrs. Krolia and Mr. Kolivan, all of them talking with Great Gramma. </p><p>“Look, why don’t you go back out there? Daddy just needs a moment to himself. I’ll be back out there in a few minutes.”</p><p>She was urged out of the coats, her father coming as well and patting her head before going into the boy’s bathroom. Kimmy tilted her head in curiosity, all thoughts of the toy forgotten as she turned and headed out to where the party was. She snuck through legs until she finally found Keith, skipping up to him and tugging on his hand.</p><p>“Keithy!”</p><p>He looked down at her, instantly smiling and kneeling down next to her.</p><p>“Kimmy! It’s only been five minutes since I last saw you, what’s up?”</p><p>“Nothing, I wanted to say hi!”</p><p>Keith chuckled, gently poking a finger at her side that made her laugh.</p><p>“Well then, I was going to get another drink, did you want to come with me to get some more too?”</p><p>She nodded, putting on the same smile she does for her Daddy, “Can I have more soda please?”</p><p>It dropped when Keith shook his head.</p><p>“No, you’ve already had three cups. They have lots of juice you can pick from and water.”</p><p>Kimmy pouted, blinking her eyes and rocking on her feet. “Pretty please Keithy? I promise I won’t ask again. . .”</p><p>He shook his head again, Kimmy frowning in defeat. “That’s not gonna work with me, juice or water. Are you still coming with me?”</p><p>She sighed but took the offered hand, walking with Keith over to the drinks table and picking out a glass of apple juice. She at least got a curly straw, sucking on it while Keith got a hot drink for himself. Kimmy looked around and saw that they were alone, she wanted to ask him something secret, so she quietly asked,</p><p>“Keithy? You like-like Daddy, right?”</p><p>Keith gave a shout which made Kimmy jump, the adult hurriedly grabbing napkins and wiping the top of the drink table.</p><p>“Kimmy that’s-why would you-“ He gave a sigh, looking down at her for a long second before turning back to the mess, “Give me a minute, okay?”</p><p>She frowned, worried now with how he was acting. Keithy had to like-like Daddy back too! She put her cup down and began to storm off, heading to the front doors to go outside. Once out there she shivered at the cold, looking up at the sky as snowflakes fell to the ground.</p><p>Kimmy really wanted Daddy to have somebody to like-like. She loved Daddy, but she was jealous of all the other kids who had another Mommy or Daddy. They all looked so happy together, and she saw how much Keith made Daddy happy. She wanted it to stay like this forever, not just this Christmas.</p><p>The doors opened and closed behind her followed by foot steps, and before she knew it Keith was kneeling next to her, looking at Kimmy with worry.</p><p>“Hey, I didn’t mean an actual minute. Is everything okay?”</p><p>She looked at him and then the ground, dragging her foot through the snow on the pavement.</p><p>“I want you and Daddy to hold hands again. For reals.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Kimmy looked back at Keith, playing with her hair. “I saw Daddy hiding, and Daddy told me how you both used to like-like and hold hands and stuff. He said you’re both play pretend holding hands today, but I want it to be real so both of you can be happy.”</p><p>Keith looked surprised when she finished talking, giving her that sad smile Daddy had before, lifting one of his hands to pat her hair.</p><p>“I wish it could be that easy Kimmy. We are happy, and we could decide to do all of that again for real, but I don’t know if your Dad would want that. . . I know he would be happy, but he would worry that I wasn’t happy or be sad because I have to leave.”</p><p>Kimmy sighed, adults were so weird.</p><p>“But that’s what Daddy said too!” She huffed and crossed her arms, “He said that he still like-likes you, and that he knows that you guys would be happy holding hands, but then you would get sad because you would have to leave. He wants to but says you could be sad after a while.”</p><p>“He. . . really said that?”</p><p>Kimmy nodded, rocking on her feet. She knew it didn’t work before, but she blinked her eyes up again at Keith, hoping it would work, “He says you have to go soon, and that it wouldn’t be fair to ask you. . . but what if you didn't go Keithy? Can’t you please stay?”</p><p>She was afraid for a moment that her asking nicely wouldn’t work again, lip beginning to wobble as Keith got an odd look in his eyes.</p><p>“I. . . I don’t know Kimmy. There’s a lot I have to think about.”</p><p>“But. . . are you gonna say yes or no?”</p><p>He sighed, but he looked back at her with kind eyes and held her cheek. “That’s why I said I have to think, but you did help me Kimmy, so thank you.”</p><p>She tilted her head, trying to understand how she helped, but got distracted as she heard jingle bells. She looked and gasped, grabbing into Keith,</p><p>“Santa! KEITHY LOOK IT’S <em> SANTA! </em>”</p><p>Keith laughed, picking her up in his arms and standing as she frantically waved at the jolly old man.</p><p>“It is! We have to go tell everyone else!”</p><p>Kimmy screamed in delight, urging Keith to hurry inside to do as he said. After that the rest of the party passed in a blur, Kimmy opened and played with her new coloring set, everybody played musical chairs including the adults, and before she knew it the sky was dark outside and she was yawning in her Daddy’s arms as he said goodbye to Keithy before heading to the car. As she was being helped into her car seat, Kimmy looked up at her Daddy.</p><p>“I wish you and Keithy could be together forever.”</p><p>He only smiled and kissed her on the head, and it wasn’t long before they began to drive and Kimmy fell asleep, dreaming of Keith living with her and Daddy and getting to call Keith Daddy too.</p><p>-</p><p>The morning after the party was beautiful, a fresh layer of snow covered roofs and trees and the ground had yet to be disturbed by snowmen and snow shovels. It wasn’t often that they got snow like this, so some people were making the most of the morning.</p><p>Shiro had brought his morning coffee over to his bay windows, wrapping himself in a blanket and opening the window to enjoy the crisp air. Kimmy was still asleep, so he wanted to appreciate the quiet while he could and use the time to think.</p><p>Keith had gotten dressed fairly early today to take Kosmo on a walk through the snow, being careful for any frozen ice patches on the sidewalk as they went. There was barely a soul out and about, so he soaked in the solitude and used the time to think.</p><p>Soon enough, the coffee was gone, feet were memorizing a familiar path, and both men had come to a conclusion.</p><p>Shiro was watching geese flying on the horizon when he spotted somebody walking their dog in the distance, and Keith had become aware of where he was walking to when he saw the familiar shape of a home with a window open.</p><p>Neither waved at each other, but Keith picked up his pace and Shiro quickly went to pour another cup of coffee, the latter making it back in time just as the former reached the window.</p><p>Shiro handed the mug to Keith, the steam wafting in the cold air, “Morning Starshine, how long have you been up?”</p><p>Keith took the drink, smiling at the nickname. He hadn’t heard it in a long time. “Good morning to you too. Not that long, I thought I would sleep in today but I woke up about thirty minutes ago and couldn't close my eyes again, Kosmo needed his walk anyway so I got up. Even on break I have to follow routine.”</p><p>They both laughed, Shiro smiling as Keith took a cautious sip of the hot drink.</p><p>“That doesn’t surprise me, it’s always been in your nature to be like that. That’s what I’ve always loved about you, it’s what makes you such a reliable person. I wish more people had your natural instinct.”</p><p>Keith’s heart skipped a beat at the use of ‘love’, shrugging in response, “It’s not that amazing, I can’t even sleep in when I’ve stayed up way later than I was supposed to.”</p><p>“I’m not really talking about that, I mean how you just. . . know things, like yesterday when you grabbed that stack of chairs before Uncle Joe tried to lift it. You didn’t hear that he’d been having back problems until an hour after that, and you can’t use the excuse that ‘he looks old’ because you know how spry of a man he normally is.”</p><p>Keith snickered, he would have flushed at that but he was pretty sure the cold took care of that a while ago. “I don’t know, Dad just taught me to be a helping hand.”</p><p>“What about Kimmy? She’s taken a while to get used to anybody new that wasn’t me, but after one day she gave you a nickname <em> and </em> everyday she’s asked me when we’re going to see you.”</p><p>“Uh. . . my Mom says that kids have always been drawn to me?”</p><p>They both made eye contact then, Keith’s shyness from the praise melting into warmth at Shiro’s comforting and sure smile.</p><p>“What about this visit? After all these years of travel and exploring new places, what made you decide on the spot to come back home?”</p><p>It wasn’t an accusatory question, and it wasn’t the first time Keith had thought of it over this trip home, but he hesitated in really acknowledging what he felt was a silly answer. He knew that it was safe to admit it with Shiro though.</p><p>“It. . . was the right time, I guess. I thought at first it was because I was looking at traveling out of the states, or that I was finally getting homesick,” Keith looked around them, taking in the neighborhood that they had walked plenty of times hand in hand, “I’m pretty sure now that I felt a pull, a call to come back, because this is where I need to be right now.” It really did sound odd to say out loud, Keith shrugging off the feeling. “It sounds weird, but I think that’s what it is?”</p><p>Shiro nodded, “Yeah, I was starting to think the same thing. I didn’t have a way to explain it until now, but it’s definitely weirder than your explanation.” He chuckled, looking at Keith with a soft fondness that would never go away, “You're kind of like the geese flying south for the winter. You know deep inside when it’s time to fly, or when it’s time to stay put, and you always know the way home even when things have changed.”</p><p>Keith raised an eyebrow, he understood the analogy, but. . .</p><p>“Geese? Really? There’s other migratory species you know, like butterflies, whales, even crabs and you go with <em> geese? </em>”</p><p>“What? Geese are seasonal for this time of year!”</p><p>“That’s such a cliche though! You know the way to my heart is animal knowledge and you go for the most basic knowledge, I am truly ashamed of you Takashi Shirogane.”</p><p>Shiro burst out laughing at the rant, Keith following soon after with the ridiculousness of his words. Kosmo barked at their excitement, jumping up onto Keith and nearly spilling his coffee, the two friends quickly calming down after that despite their continued giggles.</p><p>“I stand by my words, those geese can get feisty, like you.”</p><p>Keith rolled his eyes, petting Kosmo to calm him, “Alright, as long as you know what that makes you.”</p><p>He looked at Shiro’s questioning gaze, smiling as he leaned in closer to the window.</p><p>“The south, the place I always come back to.”</p><p>“Oh. . . Yeah.” The other leaned in close as well, the two men sharing the same intimate space for the first in a long time. Neither could pull away, even as Shiro’s smile became a bit sad. “It won’t be long before you have to fly back north though. . .”</p><p>“Well, about that.” Keith reached a free hand up to place on Shiro’s arm that lay on the windowsill, nerves getting to him just like the first time they talked in middle school, “I’m thinking I’m done with traveling. There’s more to see. . . but I know it can wait. I already started to look at zoos and sanctuaries in the state, I even have a few connections now that could help land me a steady job.”</p><p>His hand moved down to Shiro’s own, tucking his gloved fingers into his palm, the warmth familiar like home. “I promise I’ve thought about this before now, I kept pushing it off because I wasn’t certain about what I wanted to do until I talked with Kimmy yesterday. The party and her showed me that I wasn’t just missing home. . . I was missing you too.”</p><p>Shiro squeezed Keith’s hand, moving to close the gap between them, butterflies fluttering in his stomach and Keith’s no doubt.</p><p>“I’ve missed you too. . . you’re certain? About staying, settling down. . . and us?”</p><p>Keith smiled, knowing his face was flushed now because of the man in front of him, the old flame that had never gone out.</p><p>“I’ve seen everything I wanted to see, the rest can wait. All I want now is to stay where it’s warm with you.”</p><p>Years had passed since their lips had last touched, but it still felt just like their first kiss. A shy breath, a cautious and tender brush of lips, and the sparks that burned and popped just as fiercely as before. How easily it all came back, that tilt to keep their noses from colliding hard, the elegant slide of Shiro’s hand to Keith’s chin, Keith’s eagerness to lean up on his toes to deepen-</p><p>“Daaaaaaddy, I want fooooood.”</p><p>Both men’s eyes snapped open, Shiro turning to look over his shoulder at his daughter standing in the doorway. Kimmy held Baby Deer in her arms, rubbing at her eyes as she continued to wake up.</p><p>“It’s cold, whyssit so cold?”</p><p>“S-sorry sweetie, Daddy was, uh, busy. I wanted to open the window for a little bit.”</p><p>“But it’s the morning and you’re only supposed to be busy in the kitchen in the morning.”</p><p>Keith muffled his laughter, Shiro sighing and promising to start breakfast after Kimmy went to wash her hands to help. Small footsteps scurried away as Shiro leaned back out the window to kiss Keith once again, taking the forgotten coffee mug as he pulled away, “I’m correct to assume you’re staying for breakfast?”</p><p>He smiled, a deep contentment seeping into his bones at the idea of many more mornings in this home, of Kimmy sneaking food to Kosmo under the table and Shiro’s stubble rubbing against Keith’s cheek. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”</p><p>-</p><p>
  
</p><p>-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hope y’all had a wonderful Holiday time and i’m honored to have been a part of it thanks to the wonderful team behind Sheithmark! make sure to check out the other fics and art for more good quality and wholesome Sheith here in the collection and boost it from the events <a href="https://twitter.com/sheithmark?s=21">twitter!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>